Who we are
MEET THE EAI TEAM
EAI employs a number of full and part-time technicians to assist senior staff with a variety of field and laboratory activities. Additionally, EAI has established a broad and diverse network of associate scientists whose expertise can be drawn upon as project demands dictate. EAI also has excellent working relationships with a number of state-certified laboratories that can perform a broad spectrum of chemical analyses on ground water, surface water, and sediment samples.
Stan DeForest
President/CEO Ecological Associates, Inc.
MBA Business Management, Cornell University, S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Kettering University Stan serves as the President and CEO of Ecological Associates, Inc. He has over 20 years’ experience and a wide ranging and diverse background of technical and general management in large and small companies. It is Stan’s personal belief that being socially and environmentally responsible and being a successful business can go hand-in-hand. Stan is heavily involved in identifying new ways in which emerging technologies can be adapted and applied to the services EAI provides.Niki Desjardin
Senior Project Manager
M.S. Biology, Florida Atlantic University
B.S. Biology, University of Richmond
Niki has 14 years of professional experience in permit-compliance monitoring for protected species. Her work focuses on evaluating impacts to sea turtles and shorebirds from coastal construction projects in Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin Counties. She oversees hiring, training and coordinating all field staff for sea turtle/shorebird monitoring projects; database management and QA/QC; reporting data to agencies; data analysis and report writing; and coordination with clients. Niki is also involved in operations management and business development at EAI, representing the company at industry and scientific meetings.
Mark Mohlmann
Senior Project Manager
B.S. Biology, George Mason University
Mark has over 20 years’ experience. Responsible projects including CWA 316(a) and 316(b) projects, turbidity compliance monitoring, taxonomic analysis, seagrass monitoring, biological characterization studies, and marine oriented projects within EAI. He is the primary database management developer for the company with over 20 active project databases. Mark is a member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) and American Fisheries Society (AFS) and has been an active participant in the Florida Interagency Calibration Exercise to standardize seagrass scoring and data collection across agencies and universities in Florida for the last nine years.
Christina Macon
Senior Project Manager
B.S. Biology, Florida Atlantic University
Christina has 10 years of professional training and experience in land management principles, wildlife surveys, native flora identification, natural resource impacts, mitigation calculations, environmental resource permitting, mangrove trimming and removal permitting, and compliance inspections for environmental regulations. She also has specialized experience in proprietary authorizations, lease inspections, conservation land protections, and water quality sampling protocols for multiple State agencies.
Carrie Scarola
Project Manager
B.A. Environmental Studies, Florida Atlantic University – Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Carrie has 12 years of professional experience in protected species surveys and observation, permit-compliance turbidity and water quality monitoring, environmental assessments, benthic macroinvertebrate community ecology, submerged aquatic vegetation monitoring, and sediment analysis. She is the primary polychaete taxonomist and serves as the Quality Assurance/Quality Control Officer and Health and Safety Officer for the company.
Aquatic Sciences
Matt Scripter – Senior Scientist
Lead Taxonomist and Statistical Analysis
Ph.D. Marine Biology, Florida Institute of Technology
M.S. Marine Biology, Florida Institute of Technology
B.S. Marine Biology, Florida Institute of Technology
Erica Oliva – Biologist
Laboratory Coordinator and Taxonomist
B.S. Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern University
Marine Protected Species
Grace Botson – Senior Scientist
Habitat Conservation Planning, Data and Reporting Integrity
M.S. Biology, Florida Atlantic University
B.A. Marine Biology, Boston University
Samantha Pessolano – Biologist
Nesting Supervisor and Maintenance Officer
B.S. Aquatic and Marine Biology, Stetson University
Liz Ranalli – Biologist
Nesting Supervisor
B. S. Biology, Sonoma State University
Jaymie Reneker – Biologist
Nesting Supervisor – Volusia County
M.S. Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington
B.S. Biology, Iowa State University
Joseph Scarola – Biologist
Nesting Supervisor and Lighting Specialist
B.S. Biology, University of California Los Angeles
Environmental Resource Management
Laurie Allnatt – Biologist
GIS and Mapping Specialist
B.A. Geography, Florida Atlantic University
Keith Dawson – Biologist
GIS Specialist
B.S. Geography, Florida Atlantic University
Kyle Evans – Biologist
Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent
B.S. Environmental Studies, Florida State University
Katie Grablow – Senior Scientist
ERP and ROW Permitting, Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent
M.S. Biology, University of Central Florida
B.S. Biology, University of Central Florida
Rachel King – Senior Scientist
ERP and ROW Permitting, Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent
M.S. Ecology – University of Georgia
B.S. Biology – University of Central Florida
Cindy Lott – Senior Scientist
ERP and ROW Permitting
M.S. Environmental Education and Conservation Biology, Florida Institute of Technology
B.S. Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences, University of South Florida
Andrew Luering – Biologist
Field Technician Coordinator and Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent
B.S. Biology, University of North Florida
Julie Mitchell – Senior Scientist
ERP and ROW Permitting
M.S. Marine Biology and Coastal Zone Management, Nova Southeastern University
B.S. Biology, Florida State University